The Hempstead Town Board, in outgoing Republican Supervisor Anthony Santino’s final meeting, passed a number of controversial resolutions over the objections of incoming Democratic Supervisor Laura Gillen and dozens of residents.
Councilwoman Erin King Sweeney’s proposal for an independent inspector general, to vet all town contracts for possible corruption, was shot down by a 5-2 vote, while the board voted 6-1 in favor of a similar proposal by Santino.
King Sweeney voted for Santino’s “compliance officer” proposal despite it being flawed, in her view, because it was “a good first step.”
Councilman Bruce Blakeman called Santino’s proposal a “charade” and voted against it.
“This is nothing more than a watered down version of what an inspector general should be,” Blakeman said. “This isn’t even light beer — it’s near-beer."